Jaw-opening reflex after CO2 laser stimulation of the perioral region in man

CO2 laser pulses selectively excite A-delta and C mechano-thermal nociceptors in the superficial layers of the skin. To study the jaw-opening reflex elicited by a purely nociceptive input, we delivered laser pulses to the perioral region in 15 subjects. Sensory threshold was very low (9 mJ/mm2). High-intensity noxious laser pulses (more than 4 x sensory threshold) evoked a single phase of electromyogram suppression (laser silent period, LSP) at an onset latency of 70 ms in the contracted masseter and temporal muscles, bilaterally. Even maximum-intensity laser pulses failed to activate the suprahyoid muscles. The recovery curves to paired laser stimuli showed that at short interstimulus intervals the test LSP was strongly suppressed. At about 380 ms it recovered to 50%, i.e. its recovery curve resembled that of the masseter late silent period after electrical mental nerve stimulation (SP2). In experiments studying the interaction with heterotopic stimuli and non-nociceptive responses, chin-taps or electrical shocks delivered to the supraorbital, infraorbital or mental nerves before laser stimulation strongly suppressed the LSP. A preceding perioral laser pulse strongly suppressed the masseter SP evoked by supraorbital stimulation and the SP2 evoked by mental stimulation, but left SPI unaffected. We conclude that the perioral A-delta fibre input elicits a jaw-opening reflex simply by inhibiting the jaw-closers. The LSP response is mediated by a multisynaptic chain of brainstem interneurons and shares with the masseter SP2 part of the central circuit in the ponto-medullary region. We also propose that a common centre processes the various inputs for jaw opening.